Counter Intelligence: MJ's Pet Chimp Poised for Comeback

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Michael Jackson's adopted pet chimp Bubbles -- now 26-years old -- has reportedly found new fame in the wake of his former owner's death.

See what happened to the King of Pop's sidekick and take a look at our list of must-reads that will have you chatting at the lunch counter, over IM or wherever it is that people actually talk these days.

Michael Jackson's adopted pet chimp Bubbles -- now 26-years old -- has reportedly found new fame in the wake of his former owner's death. The chimp's new owner said the pet has had a recent flurry of publicity offers. Jackson, who was seemingly inseparable from the pet, adopted then 3-year old Bubbles from a cancer research center in Texas in 1985.

The cuteness factor has played a big role in determining which animals make it on the endangered species list. In the past few decades, so-called "glamour species" such as gray wolves, bald eagles and grizzly bears have made the cut. Now, the government is making a better effort to preserve the Arkansas fatmuckets of the animal kingdom as they attempt to re-embrace their original "Noah's Ark" mantra: Save everything.

Some scientists claim girls are hard-wired to play with Barbies. A new study shows genetic preference may reinforce gender stereotypes and that social conditioning may play a lesser role in gender development than previously thought. Research showed that boys between the ages of 3 and 8 months preferred to play with toy trucks and girls opted to play with dolls.

Rain water is now legal to collect in Colorado. Since its days as a territory, the state has had laws against collecting rainwater -- but the introduction of two new laws now make it legal. The change is primarily because of growing population, drought and groundwater drying up making rain harvesting a more attractive practice, something more Western states are trying to adopt.

Fatalistic teens are more likely to die young. Teenagers who think they're going to die young are more likely to create a self-fulfilling prophecy and engage in risky behavior that could contribute to the deaths, a new study shows. Research that tracked 20,000 kids in grades 7 through 12 found 15 percent of them thought they'd die before 35. Those who thought they'd die early were seven times more likely to get AIDS.